Kala U-Bass (4-string, Fretted, Mahogany) Reviews

4.8/5.0 based on 7 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Leslie Scott
from Meridian, MS
January 21, 2013Music Background:
Bluegrass

Kala u-bass

Very pleased with bass. Works great for a jam session or even for a larger setting. Fun to play.

Great serice from Sweetwater!!

Shawn
from SC
April 12, 2012Music Background:
Pro/Semi-Pro Musician

Great addition to my bass collection...

DO NOT let the size of this bass fool you. It is a monster. You will need a preamp as it is an acoustic passive instrument, but you will love the sound. I use it for an electronic/funk project and a bluegrass band. It has a deep, full-bodied tone that you will love and your band will love. Very clear and powerful, and really complements the bass drum. Almost most upright-sounding, but without all the issues that come with it. I love the sound of this instrument on recordings too.

Obviously, you will get a few weird looks at first, but that's only a small part of its charm IMO. Trust me, their fears are soon assuaged. After buying one and taking it out a few times the instrument has landed me several gigs already, and has paid for itself several times over. It gets as many requests as my EUB's by bands and fans, which I didn't expect since I originally bought it as a "travel instrument." It is now my go-to bass after the NS Design EUB's.

One last thing, this bass is portable and doesn't require an amp to practice by yourself or with an acoustic player or two. You will play it all around your house, your front porch, at work, etc. It makes it really easy to just woodshed whenever and wherever, and has been great for me as an older player who had started to neglect sightreading practice and just theory stuff in general. My advice, get the FRETLESS model. Maybe it's the strings, but it's really REALLY easy to intonate. I had the fretted model first and thought that it "farted out" entirely too much if you didn't place your finger down exactly right each note...which meant I was always starting at my left hand and not the charts! Seriously, the fretless version of this instrument is the only way to go...bass butter.

Tamara
from Beaverton, Or
February 4, 2012Music Background:
Guitarist, Singer

Adorably Wonderful

When I heard my guitar teacher play a Kala U-Bass in concert , I was love struck. Music partner ordered it for me as Xmas gift. It took a month for it to arrive from Sweetwater, but it fullfills all expectations. Beautiful mahogany, set up is great, sound is thunderous and sweet. Fantastic instrument for smaller hands.

Tom Bramhall
from Huntsville
August 1, 2011Music Background:
40 year veteran

A recording monster

Really bought it as a curiosity. On a lark did some tracks with it for someone who had a tune that was acoustic guitar driven. Records very well and fit the tune marvelously. Who knew?

Susan
from Seattle, WA USA
March 1, 2012Music Background:
Singer/Songwriter

I Love TINY BASS

I got this today after lusting for as long as I knew of such a thing's existence and find myself quite happy with it. A couple of big basses have come and gone in my life, but as a person who is on the smaller side I always felt lost among huge frets. I also generally prefer an upright sort of tone. It's very pretty, has a frog inlay on the headstock, and, oh yes, the electronics sound quite nice, even just though my audio interface. It is a little picky with intonation, even with frets. Fingers must go in exactly the right places and press exactly hard enough. I'll get use to it, but that is the biggest hurdle. It'll be a lot of fun to have along while traveling.

Tahoe Ed
from Lake Tahoe / Las Vegas
February 2, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist

Sold a Gibson SG for a UBass

I have a Spruce top and have this bass on order. I sold my Gibson SG, I have more basses than I can play anyway, to buy this one. I did keep my Hofner 500/1. The Spruce top plays great. I have been playing if for over a month now and It is the most fun bass I have ever played. You have to tune regularly. You have to make sure that the strings don't get down to the bottom of the tuner. Other than that it is great. I travel frequently and take the Ubass with me along with a Tascam MP-BT1 bass trainer. Practice is never a problem.

Tom Bramhall
from Huntsville, AL
June 23, 2010

Good thing in small package

Very surprising tone. Very big sound, more of an acoustic/upright vibe. The short 20 inch scale takes some getting used to. The strings are stretchy but do settle down. Can play a whole set without being reduced to constant tuning. Not the ideal thing for slapping and popping, but the vibe of it lends itself to other material. It works well plugged in as is, but comes alive with a good preamp that can deal with the piezo pickup.